Abandoned on Everest

[the Talking Can]

http://godheadv.blogspot.com/2010/04...n-everest.html

Fascinating blog post on what goes on in Everest's "dead zone" along with some unbelievable pictures.

NSFW warning...not because they're all graphic, but there are pictures of dead, frozen bodies.

You have to be crazy...

This morning, however, Green Boots had company. Sitting no more than two feet to the left of the corpse was a man who at first glance appeared to be dead. His gloved hands were on his knees, his hood and hat cast his face in shadow. The only feature visible was the man's severely frostbitten nose, already a greenish black hue. On closer inspection, the vapor from the man's breath could be seen rising.

What happened next entered the folklore of the highest mountain on earth. Every man interviewed gives a different story. What is certain is that every single one of the 40-odd climbers attempting the summit that day left the man in the cave, whose name was David Sharp, to freeze, either by choice, by ignorance, or by misjudging him as a corpse they already expected to see in that infamous cave....

[Rain Man]

There was some post on either that blog or another one that it linked to that said that the death rate on Everest is 6 percent, but that it's 40 percent on Annapurna.

Now, I wouldn't want to roll the dice on 6 percent, but 40 percent? Is that really true? 40 percent? And I'd wager that all 100 percent thought they were well trained and well prepared. There's no way on earth I'd accept a 40 percent risk of dying.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by AustinChief

Ok, without using Google.. name the top 5 Olympic sprinters in the world right now?

It's interesting in a .. "wow that's kinda neat" then I never think about it again way... let's not pretend you FOLLOW it... anyway.. we're getting off topic...

Name the top 5 NFL running backs in the world today. Those guys also didn't have to deal with the inferior protective equipment that runnings backs had to deal with a generation or so ago, but that doesn't (and shouldn't) bother anyone.

Popularity shouldn't be relevant.

[Hydrae]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

There was some post on either that blog or another one that it linked to that said that the death rate on Everest is 6 percent, but that it's 40 percent on Annapurna.

Now, I wouldn't want to roll the dice on 6 percent, but 40 percent? Is that really true? 40 percent? And I'd wager that all 100 percent thought they were well trained and well prepared. There's no way on earth I'd accept a 40 percent risk of dying.

Certainly not to climb a mountain.

"Because it is there."

Yeah, there are a lot of other things "there." I think I will leave the big, deadly mountain alone for now. Thanks anyway.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

There was some post on either that blog or another one that it linked to that said that the death rate on Everest is 6 percent, but that it's 40 percent on Annapurna.

Now, I wouldn't want to roll the dice on 6 percent, but 40 percent? Is that really true? 40 percent? And I'd wager that all 100 percent thought they were well trained and well prepared. There's no way on earth I'd accept a 40 percent risk of dying.

Just for fun, I grabbed my TI calculator and used the random number generator. 0.079060....

So, I would have just barely survived Everest, but I would have suffered a horrible death on Annapurna, whatever the hell that is.

[Rain Man]

Wow. Annapurna is 40 percent. Amazing.

http://gearjunkie.com/worlds-10-most...rous-mountains

I like the mountain below it, Nanga Parbat. The first 31 people who attempted it died in the process.

Here's another list that's slightly different, but also interesting: http://matadornetwork.com/trips/11-m...d-for-climbers

Here's an interesting blog post on Annapurna: http://blog.stadum.com/2007/02/annap...-mountain.html

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Just for fun, I grabbed my TI calculator and used the random number generator. 0.079060....

So, I would have just barely survived Everest, but I would have suffered a horrible death on Annapurna, whatever the hell that is.

Now try with Annapurna at 41 percent. Yeesh.

[Simplex3]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Wow. Annapurna is 40 percent. Amazing.

http://gearjunkie.com/worlds-10-most...rous-mountains

I like the mountain below it, Nanga Parbat. The first 31 people who attempted it died in the process.

Here's another list that's slightly different, but also interesting: http://matadornetwork.com/trips/11-m...d-for-climbers

Here's an interesting blog post on Annapurna: http://blog.stadum.com/2007/02/annap...-mountain.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight-thousander

That one has the death rates before 1990 and since. 3 of them have actually gotten *more* dangerous.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Simplex3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight-thousander

That one has the death rates before 1990 and since. 3 of them have actually gotten *more* dangerous.

I could walk up Gasherbrum II. Piece of cake.

And those Poles really know their winter climbing.

[notorious]

Originally Posted by Donger

Not if it's frozen, it isn't.

At that point it becomes ice.


or so I've been told......

[notorious]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

You can use the suit to climb up Everest, but if you use it you have to sing the National Anthem next to every dead body you see in the Dead Zone, and you can only use ladders across chasms between the hours of 10 and 2.

So you can use suits, but you just have to follow the rules.

And you have to take a shot for every dead body.


Boilermaker for every body that is not laying down.



It would take probably .1 ounces of liquor to get completely shit-plowed at that altitude.

[HonestChieffan]

Originally Posted by Miles

Thanks. I have been meaning to read The Climb for a while but kind of forgot about it. Will also pick up the Ed Viesturs book. I have also been meaning to read more about K2 which seems much more technical than Everest and I recall something similar to the Everest debacle happening in the 80's.

Great read. I know the Bolivian Doctors wife that the book discusses. At the time he was the oldest to summit. He died on the way down under unusual circumstances....http://www.amazon.com/High-Crimes-Fa.../dp/1401302734

[ThaVirus]

Climbing mountains... That's about the dumbest shit I've ever heard.

[rtmike]

As noble as it may be to try to help other climbers' up on Everest, HTH do you cross all the ladders up there?

[rtmike]

Awesome thread.

I've been mesmerized for 2 days looking up any listed links. Several books/dvds I now need to check out.

My rep stick is minuscule so I don't even know if it went through, but thanks.

[Dylan]

This is a great Web site, where climbers come for news and stories:

http://www.everestnews.com/